11 Feb CRAFTSMAN TRICKS OF THE TRADE: WHITESPACE

“White space is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background.” —Jan Tschichold

Don’t be afraid to leave pockets of negative space – Utilizing these kinds of areas will ultimately bring balance and define the areas of positive space in your composition. By surrounding words and images with white space, you let elements breathe. The application of space around text boxes, images and other graphic elements makes a design easier to take in. It’s also more likely to attract attention than a cluttered composition.

In today’s advertising market you’ll notice that the majority of ads you see are cluttered with information in attempt to grab your attention. What research has found however is that the most impactful ads are actually the ones with the most useful way of utilizing both content and white space. In order for information to be effective, you must allow it to breathe and stand out.